the exact date of paraty 's founding is disputed, but at any rate it existed in relative tranquility until the gold boom that consumed the first half of the eighteenth century in colonial brazil.  

at the time, the only route linking rio de janeiro to minas gerais, in the interior of brazil where the gold mines were located, ran through paraty, making it very strategically located.

rich in beauty as it is in events, paraty sits across the bay from angra dos reis and ilha grande.

it has the well-earned reputation of a wonderfully preserved colonial town nestled between the mountains and the ocean, with a full complement of events to make it all the more appealing.